The phone is also one of Sharp’s first ventures outside of Japan, as the Aquos SH930 looks like it will be going on sale in Russia later this week. This means that anyone desperate to get their hands on a 1080p smartphone, and doesn’t live in Russia or Japan, is still going to have to wait.

According to the report, which is a little sketchy on the details, the Aquos SH930’s screen measures 5-inches and has the all-important resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. A dual-core Snapdragon processor with a 1.5GHz clock speed is said to run the phone, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will be its operating system.

However, it’s not really the phone that’s interesting, it’s the screen, as it’s speculated that it could be one of Sharp’s IGZO panels. Sharp sees these clever displays as the future of the company, and they’re pushing them hard in both the mobile and computing industry.

Lower power consumption

Taking its name from the screen technology on which its based — Indium gallium zinc oxide — IGZO screens use up to 20-percent less power than normal panels, are thinner than standard LCDs, provide a sharper, brighter image for improved readability in sunlight, plus improved accuracy for touch too.

While the Aquos SH930 probably won’t be released in many other places, its 1080p screen has a better chance of success. It does, however, have some competition, as HTC is rumored to be about to release a 1080p smartphone of its own, as is Sony.

Companies who purchase screens from Sharp include Apple and Asus, the latter of which announced it will incorporate an IGZO panel in the new PadFone 2, although on that device it measures 4.7-inches and has a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. Prior to release, the iPad Mini was also rumored to sport an IGZO screen, which sadly wasn’t the case.

Sharp hopes its new, fancy IGZO displays are the next big thing, and wants to put them on ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones. Sharp has been in financial trouble recently, and sees IGZO screens as a way to pull itself back from the brink, telling Reuters.com last month that production had been started in a second plant, considerably increasing volume. Negotiations between Sharp and computer manufacturers including HP, Lenovo and Dell are said to be ongoing, plus Microsoft and Intel are also being targeted for investment.